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Trade Season
Beginning at the end of the June Holidays and ending at the beginning of the August Holidays, the July Trade Season has become a celebration of cross-cultural appreciation in Duilintinn, specifically in the capital city of Cordoire. Origin During the summer, wandering groups of traders will come to Duilintinn and do business throughout the kingdom. These groups all follow their own consistent annual routes, usually hitting all of the major cities before returning back to Loch Domhainn at the end of the summer to return home. Depending on the group, these traders will begin to arrive in Duilintinn as soon as the winter storms on the coast of the Eastern Sea have waned. Similarly, these groups all leave at varying times, but consistently before the winter storms begin again. Most trade occurs between May and August, although some arrive as early as April or stay until September. The peak of this trade season is in July, when the capital city of Cordoire hosts thousands of traders from around the world. Over time, this tradition has evolved from a simple trading season to an official holiday. Atmosphere During their stay, foreign traders will pitch small shelters outside the city walls that function as both living spaces and temporary storefronts. While some traders might be lucky enough to get official permission to set up shop within the city walls, the roads, open to any wishing to sell their wares, are the true center of the celebrations. The colorful tents and shops will stretch out from the front gates for miles and miles. If you were walking or riding to the city gates from a distance, it might look like the circus had come to town! Economically, the trading season is also celebrated as an opportunity for the shared beginning of a prosperous business year. Traders from within Duilintinn will set up shop next to traders from foreign lands, children will run in the streets with old pals and new ones as their parents shop for imported goods, and people from all houses will meet in Cordoire to mingle and celebrate as a united culture. Local craftsmen welcome the opportunity to learn and share with craftsmen from other kingdoms, while merchants and traders from across the world will compare their wares and bond over the similarities and differences between their shared careers. There isn't any underlying hostility competition between these businesses, except maybe the joking, friendly kind. It’s kinda like a great big trade convention! Significance The June Holidays officially mark the beginning of the business year, but the trading season is the celebration that ushers it in. The August Holidays remind everyone to seek new knowledge and remember their history, but the explosion of cultural appreciation during the trading season is what encourages many to pick up those old books and tales. Just as the December Holidays bring people from all houses to Cordoire in thanks for the year they survived and the new year ahead, the Trading Season brings cultures from all over the world to Cordoire in a celebration of the hope, success, and unity that comes from bringing people together. December is about relief and thankfulness for what you’ve been given, but July is about hope and excitement for what you can learn and discover in the coming year.